Condenser installation



June 24 1924.

l. SHORT CONDENSER INSTALLATION Filed May 25. 1918 75 Conavsa/e fum IN VEN TOR.

A TTORN E Y4.

Patented June 24, 1924 UNITED srATns PATENT. CE

IRA. SHORT, OI? WILKINSBUBG, PENNfiYLVANIA, ASSIGNOR TO 'WESTINGHOUSE ELEG- TRIC & MANUFACTURING CO., 1i. CORPORATION (ll-l PENNSYLVANIA.

CONDENSER INSTALLATION.

Application filed May 1918.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, IRA Snonr, a citizen or the Un1ted States, and a resident or Wilkinsburg, in the county of Allegheny and State of Pennsylvania, have made a new and useful Invention in Condenser Installation, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to condensers and has for an object to produce a new and improved condenser installation in which means are employed for efi ectively draining the air line and for thereby increasing the permissible submergence of the'conden" sate pump.

In some condenser installations, particularly marine, the amount of head room is limited. In such installations the condenser hot well is frequently near the bottom of the ship, and the air is withdrawn from the condenser by means of a pump or ejector located above the level of the hot well. This causes a pocket in the air line which fills with water and interferes with the with drawal of air from the condenser if the line is not properly drained. In some installa tions the lowermost part of the air line has been drained to the hot well by means of a drain pipe, but in such an installation, the level of the water in the hot well must be maintained below the lowest point in the air line in order to keep the air line free from water. In pumping condensate from a condenser hot well it is desirable to have the maximum possible submergence for the coin densate pump, and consequently it is impossible to employ such an arrangement of ap paratus in marine installations, since the head room is not suflicient to give the condensate pump the necessary submergenoe for efiicient operation.

My invention contemplates a condenser installation in which separate means are employed for draining the air offtake line back into the condenser or hot well independently of the level of water therein. A maximum level of water can therefore be maintained in the hot well, thereby improving the efiiciency and the operating condition of the condensate pump. The draining means preferably discharges back into the condenser system in order to conserve heat and water and also to reduce the head against which the draining means must operate.

Serial No. 236,620.

The'drawing is a diagrammatic-sectional view of a condenser installation embodying the features of my invention.

The condenser installation shown includes a surface condenser 5, provided with a hot well 6, and an air odtake port '7. The condensate is adapted to be withdrawn from the hot well 6 through a port 8 which may be connected with a condensate pump, not shown. Connected with the air ofitalce port 7, I have shown an air ofl take' line 9 provided with an upwardly extending portion 10 leading to an air pump or ejector, not shown.

Above the air ofitake port 7, I have shown a battle 11 for preventing water from drop ping into the air offtake line 9. However, water and water vapor are carried into this line with the air. The vapor condenses and this with the entrained water collects in the lowest part of the line, that is, between the air offtalre port 7 and the vertical portion 10. In the past it has been customary to drain the air oiftake line 9 directly to the hot well 6, which of course limited the level of water in the hot well to the level of the lowest point or the air ofitake line 9. As shown, I have provided a small ejector 12- which is adapted to withdraw water from the air oiItalie line 9 through a drain pipe 13 and to discharge it back into the condenser through a suitable pipe 14-. With the arrangement illustrated the hot well is independent of the air offtake line and the snhmergence can be carried to the bottom of the shell of the condenser 5.

The ejector 12 is preferably steam ,actu ated and may be supplied with steam by means of a pipe 15. In the installation illustrated the pumping head on the ejector 12 is very low, consequently the ejector may operate on low pressure steam and consumes but little steam, the heat of which is in most cases regained.

I'Vhile I have described and illustrated but one embodiment of my invention, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that various modifications, changes, additions and omissions may be made in the apparatus described and illustrated without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as set forth by the appended claims.

What I claim is:

1. In a condenser installation, a condenser, an air ofi'take line through which air withdrawn from the condenser, means for draining liquids from a point in the air oii'take line subject to condenser pressure to a point below said line and means for discharging said liquids back into the condenser.

2. In a condenser installation, a condenser,an air ofltake line through which air is withdrawn from the condenser at substantially condenser pressure, and means independent of the level of the liquid within the condenser for discharging liquids from an intermediate point in the air ofi'take line below the level of the liquid in the condenser back to the condenser.

A condenser installation, comprising a condenser having an air oiltake port, an air oi'ltake line connected thereto and adapted to convey uncondensed fluids at substantially condenser pressure to an air pump,

means for collecting liquids from said line at condenser pressure, and a pumping mechanism for discharging said liquids back into the condenser.

i condenser installation, comprising 'a condenser having an air offtake port, an air oil'take line communicating with said port and through'which air passes at condenser pressure, and means communicating at an intermediate point in said line for draining liquids therefrom back to the condenser independently of the level of liquids in the condenser.

5, In a condenser installation, a condenser havingan air offtake port, an air oiitake line connected thereto and having a part subject to condenser pressure and lower than the bottom of the condenser, and means for draining liquids from the lower portion of the air ofltake line and for discharging the drainage liquid back into the condenser.

6, In a condenser installation, a condenser; having an air oiltake port, a hot well communicating with the condenser, an air oiltake line connected to the said port and having at least a part subject to condenser pressure and lower than the bottom of the condenser, and means for draining the lower portion of said line and discharging the drainage liquid back into the condenser independently of the level of water in the hot well whereby the level or Water in said hot well may be maintained higher than said oiltake line without flooding said line.

7., In a condenser installation, .a condenser having an air ofltake port, an air offtalze line extending donnward from the port and through which the air passes at condenser pressure, and means for dram ing said line back to the condenser.

8, In a condenser installation, a condenser having an air ofitake port, an air olitake line extending downward from said port and having an uptake to an air Withdrawing means, a drain pipe c01nmunicating with the lowest portion of the air line, and a low pressure ejector in said drain pipe for discharging the drainage back into the condensing system,

9, In a condenser installation, a condenser, an air oiit'take line adapted to convey uncondensed fluids from the condenser to a condenser air pump, means for draining liquids from the air offtake line, and means independent of the air pump for discharging said liquids backinto the condensen 7 10 In a condenser installation, a condenser, an air oiltake line adapted to convey- IRA SHORT.

l/Vitness C. W. MQGHEE. 

